scrapbook 1 (ww2)

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page 74&75

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in 1944 the William cc Claiborne was shelled in the Philippines , damage was done with no loss of life
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Born in Manassa, Colorado on June 24, 1895, William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey rose to sports stardom in the 1920s. As a nomadic traveler from 1911 to 1916, Dempsey began boxing in the small mining towns of Colorado under the name "Kid Blackie." He emerged from numerous saloon floor-boxing matches to rein victorious in over 80 professional fights by the meager age of 24. Dempsey was perhaps best known for his thrilling knockout victories, many of which occurred in just seconds of the fight’s onset.

Dempsey proved his phenomenal ability in a battle of "David and Goliath" match of fists. His iron strength and killer left hooks allowed Dempsey to beat Jess Willard in 1919, leaving the giant bewildered and shattered. This victory awarded Dempsey both the heavyweight title and the nickname of the "Manassa Mauler, " the name that soon haunted potential opponents all around the country. Dempsey became a ring warrior through his tough defense of his title six times in just seven years. In most of his matches, there were no survivors.

A day of disbelief for Dempsey occurred on September 23, 1926 when he was defeated by Gene Tunney and lost his heavyweight title. Ironically, this match yielded the largest paid attendance in boxing history. Tunney and Dempsey went head to head and fist to fist again in 1927 in hopes that Dempsey would reclaim his title. Dempsey lost this rematch, which was coined "The Battle of the Long Count" because of a call by the referee that Dempsey did not return to a neutral corner after Tunney had fallen. Tunney won the match three rounds later.

Dempsey continued boxing in exhibitions after his defeat but retired from professional boxing in 1940 and went on to be a successful restaurant owner in New York. Dempsey retired with an astounding record of 60-7-8. Fifty of these wins were knockouts. He was a universally accepted sports star. With his bobbing and weaving stance, amazing speed, graceful agility, and pure power, Jack Dempsey will forever remain the perfect boxer and one of the greatest box office attractions of all time.

When the United States entered ww2, Dempsey had an opportunity to refute any remaining criticism of his war record of two decades earlier. Dempsey joined New York State National Guard and was given a commission as a first lieutenant. Dempsey resigned that commission to accept a commission as a lieutenant in the Coast Guard Reserve. Dempsey reported for active duty in June 1942 at Coast Guard Training Station, Manhattan Beach , Brooklyn, New York, where he was assigned as "Director of Physical Education." Dempsey also made many personal appearances at fights, camps, hospitals and War bond drives. Dempsey was promoted to lieutenant commander in December 1942 and commander in March 1944. In 1944 Dempsey was assigned to the transport USS Wakefield In 1945 Dempsey was on the attack transport USS Arthur Middleton for the invasion of Okinawa. Dempsey also spent time aboard the USS General William Mitchell where he spent time showing the crew sparring techniques. Dempsey was released from active duty in September 1945 and he was given an honorable discharge from the Coast Guard Reserve in 1952.

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Designed in 1937 as a high-altitude "pursuit aircraft" (interceptor), the XP-38 was heavier than a Bristol Blenheim Mk. I, which at that time was the standard British medium bomber. Equipped with under wing droppable fuel tanks, the Lockheed P-38 was used extensively as a long-range escort fighter aircraft and saw action in practically every major combat area of the world. The Pacific theatre of operations produced the two highest scoring aces in American history - Major Richard Bong and Major Thomas McGuire, Jr. Both men flew P-38 Lightnings in the Southwest Pacific and each received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his courage and accomplishments.
After WW2, a number of Lockheed P-38s were used for aerial photography in the private sector. Almost 10,000 P-38s were built. Today, only a few are remaining.
Type:
Long range fighter and fighter bomber
Powerplant:
Two Allison V-1710-27/29
Max speed:
414 mph (666 km/hr)
Ceiling:
44,000 ft (13 400 m)
Range:
475 miles (765 km) on internal fuel
Weight (empty):
12,600 lbs (5806 kg)
Max. T/O:
21,600 lbs (9798 kg)
Wingspan:
52' 0" (15.85m)
Length:
37' 10" (11.53 m)
Height:
9' 10" (3 m)
Armament:
One 20mm cannon, four .50 machine guns, 2,000 lb of bombs, rockets

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4th Armored Division

The 4th Armored Division, after training in England from January to July 1944, landed at Utah Beach 11 July and entered World War II combat 17 July.
The Division participated in Operation Cobra, the Normandy Breakout. They secured Coutances, Nantes and then turned east driving across France. September had them crossing the Moselle River and in the vicinity of Nancy. They maintained a defensive posture and line from Chambrey to Henamenil into October. They returned to the line in November near Viviers and crossed the Saar River on the 21st and 22nd.
After the Germans launched their Ardennes Offensive, the 4th AD raced northwest to Belgium. Units of the 4th AD were the first Allies to reach the 101st AB at Bastogne. Following the Battle of the Bulge , the Allies went on the offensive and the 4th moved east crossing the Moselle and then the Rhine in late March and on to the capture of Lauterbach. By 12 April the Division had crossed the Saale River and continued their advance into Czechoslovakia where World War II for the 4th Armored Division ended on 6 May 1945, Victory in Europe Day.

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Percival has gone down in history as the man who surrendered 136,000 men after Singapore surrendered in February 1942. After the war Percival wrote about his command in Malaya and Singapore but many reviewers gave unfavorable reviews to his book. Was this justified? Before taking up his appointment as GOC Malaya, Percival had noted that he could well have been taking up an outpost in Asia in which little of consequence happened and that it could stall his career prospects. Alternately his also knew that places such as Malaya and therefore Singapore had not had as much spent on their defenses as he would have liked. While serving under General Dobbie before the war, Percival had made an assessment of the defenses in Malaya and Singapore. He concluded that far more needed to be spent to modernise what was there especially in Southern Johore, just to the north of Singapore.Churchill called the surrender “the worst disaster in British history”. But it was Churchill who had ordered all the 350 tanks in Malaya to be moved to the Russian front as a show of faith between the USSR and Britain. Japan had 200 light tanks in the Battle for Malaya while the British had none. Likewise, the request for 566 aircraft to give aerial cover to ground troops was ignored by the War Cabinet who considered that 336 would be sufficient.

As the situation became more and more threatening in the Far East before war broke out in the region, Dobbie had requested more ground troops. In this he was successful but the decision to send more troops from India did not meet with Churchill’s approval. He wrote in January 1941:

“I do not remember to have given my approval to these very large diversions of force. On the contrary, if my minutes are collected they will be seen to have an opposite tendency. The political situation in the Far East does not seem to require, and the strength of our Air Force by no means warrants, the maintenance of such large forces in the Far East at this time.”

However, the 9th Indian Division was sent.

Percival, while GOC Malaya, was also refused permission to put ‘Operation Matador’ into being. This was a plan to capture Singpora in southern Thailand before Japanese forces got to it. Singapore was a port and had a major air base. It seemed obvious that if the Japanese were going to attack both Malaya and Thailand, they would take Singapore. ‘Operation Matador’ would take this option away from the Japanese or the fighting for it would reduce it to such a state that the Japanese could not use it operationally. However, the War Office would not sanction such a move as it was felt that the Japanese might view this as a provocative act, which could stimulate war.

One area where Percival could be criticized was his refusal to build defenses along the northern shore of Singapore. He had 6,000 engineers at his disposal and could have done so with some ease. However Percival did believe that “defenses are bad for morale”.

After the surrender Percival was held in Changi jail, which acted as a POW camp. In August 1942, he was sent to Manchuria via Taiwan. He stayed here until the end of the war. Percival stood behind General Douglas McArthur during the surrender ceremony on ‘USS Missouri’ and MacArthur gave him one of the pens used in the ceremony.

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page 76&77

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January 14th, 1942
New York: Banner headlines in this evening's newspapers have sent tremors all around the island of Manhattan. The news of the torpedoing of the Panamanian tanker NORNESS just 100 miles from the piers where liners berth has brought home the realities of war to New Yorkers. The SS NORNESS falls victim to U-123, 73 miles south-southwest of Nanucket Island, Massachusetts.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/HjXiT.jpg[/IMG]
U-123Type IXB Feldpost NumberM 08 800 Construction YardDeutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG, (AG Weser) Bremen Yard Number955 Ordered15th Dec 1937 Keel laid15th Apr 1939 Launched2nd Mar 1940 Commissioned30th May 1940 BaubelehrungMarinelehrwerkstatt, Wilhelmshaven /
Baubelehrung U-Boote Nordsee, BremenTraining, Flotillas and Duties 05.40 - 08.442.U-Flottille, Wilhelmshaven & Lorient
Ausbildungsboot (under training)
Frontboot (operational)
Schulboot (training boat)
Commanders05.40 - 05.41KL Karl-Heinz Moehle

05.41 - 07.42KL Reinhard Hardegen

08.42 - 06.44OL Horst von Schroeter

today the ss norness is a diving site for recreational use
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The "Chiefs" Go to War

In spite of years of inefficient and often corrupt bureaucratic management of Indian affairs, Native Americans stood ready to fight the "white man's war." American Indians overcame past disappointment, resentment, and suspicion to respond to their nation's need in World War II. It was a grand show of loyalty on the part of Native Americans and many Indian recruits were affectionately called "chiefs." Native Americans responded to America's call for soldiers because they understood the need to defend one's own land, and they understood fundamental concepts of fighting for life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.

Even the clannish Pueblo tribe, whose members exhibited a historical suspicion of the white world, contributed 213 men, 10 percent of their population of 2,205, to the armed forces. Wisconsin Chippewas at the Lac Oreilles Reservation contributed 100 men from a population of 1,700. Nearly all the able-bodied Chippewas at the Grand Portage Reservation enlisted. Blackfeet Indians enlisted in droves. Navajo Indians responded by sending 3,600 into military service; 300 lost their lives. Many volunteered from the Fort Peck Sioux-Assinibois Reservation in Montana, the descendants of the Indians that defeated Custer. The Iroquois took it as an insult to be called up under compulsion. They passed their own draft act and sent their young braves into National Guard units.

There were many disappointments as well-intentioned Indians were rejected for the draft. Years of poverty, illiteracy, ill- health, and general bureaucratic neglect had taken its toll. A Chippewa Indian was furious when rejected because he had no teeth. "I don't want to bite 'em," he said, "I just want to shoot 'em!" Another Indian, rejected for being too fat to run, said that he had not come to run, but to fight.

In the mid-1600's, a band of Chippewa separated from their fishing brethen and moved to the St. Croix River area in Wisconsin to become traders. By 1702, they occupied a village on Rice Lake in Minnesota. Both the French and English vied for their trade. Eventually, the English won out and built several trading posts.
By 1837, the St. Croix band had ceded their land to the US, while retaining the right to hunt, fish, and gather wild rice in the area. In 1854 the Band lost their political status and the ability to form a reservation. To survive, they attached themselves to other Chippewa bands.
It wasn't until 1934 that they were officially recognized as the "St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin" and were able to obtain a reservation in their ancestral homelands.

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On the 31st December 1941 Percival assumed command of the 85,000 troops on Singapore Island, these consistered of thirteen British battalions, six Australian, seventeen Indian and two Malay, giving him nearly a total strength three divisions. With another three machine gun battalions it looked impresive but the reality was that most of the troops were fresh to combat and the troops that retreated from Malaya had been badly cut up.
Siege Begins - Feb 1st - The siege began officially with the blowing up of the causeway at 0800 hours on 31st January 1942, the explosion could be heard on the south coast of Singapore.

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page 78&79

page 78

sinking of the Montebello oil tanker ship by a Japanese submarine off the coast of California, Dec. 23, 1941.



From "West Coast War Zone"

By Donald Young
About the time the Japanese submarine I-21 disappeared below the surface, the Union Oil Company's Montebello was pulling away from the company wharf some 20 miles away at Avila, on its way north with a cargo of oil and gasoline. An hour and a half later she found herself in a life-or-death race with a frustrated Japanese submarine commander with vengeance on his mind.
At 5:30 a.m. William Srez, on watch aboard Montebello, alerted Captain Olaf Eckstrom that they were being stalked by what looked like a sub. Five-and-a-half hours earlier, Eckstrom had been the ship's first mate. At midnight, her captain had abruptly resigned, giving the command to Eckstrom.
"I saw a dark outline on the water, close astern of us," said the new captain later. "Srez was right. It was the silhouette of a Jap (sic) submarine, a big fellow, possibly 300 feet long. I ordered the quartermaster at the wheel, John McIsaac, to zigzag. For 10 minutes we tried desperately to cheat the sub, but it was no use. She was too close.[and] let a torpedo go when we were broadside to her."
"The torpedo smashed us square amidships," said Srez, "and there was a big blast and the ship shuddered and trembled and we knew she was done for."
Fortunately for Montebello, the torpedo hit the only compartment not loaded with gasoline. "The men wouldn't have had a chance if any other hold was hit," said Eckstrom. But it did knock out the radio.
"The skipper was as cool as a snowdrift," remembered Srez. "He yelled an order to stand by the lifeboats and then an order to abandon ship, and there was something in the way he gave those orders that made us proud to be serving under him."
As the crew responded by lowering the lifeboats, the Japanese opened fire with their deck gun at nearly point-blank range. "The sub began shelling us," continued Captain Eckstrom. "There was from eight to 10 flashes. One hit the foremast, snapping it. Another whistled by my head so close I could have reached out and touched it. But there was no panic, no hysteria. We got all four lifeboats into the water. Splinters from one of the shells struck some of the boats, but by some kind of miracle, none of us was wounded."
Despite the torpedoing, Eckstrom was not sure Montebello was going to sink, and he ordered his lifeboats "to lie a short distance from the ship. But 45 minutes later, just as dawn was breaking, she went down."
As the 36 men in four lifeboats began rowing for shore, I-21 opened fire with machine guns on the helpless American sailors until poor visibility forced the Japanese to retire. Although no one was wounded, the boat carrying Eckstrom, Srez and four other crewmen was hit.
"Machine-gun bullets hit our boat," said Srez, "and she began leaking like a sieve. We began rowing shoreward, with some of us leaning on the oars for all we were worth and the others bailing."
Fighting fatigue, rough water and a leaking boat, it was not until noon—some six hours after the sinking—that the six men literally hit the beach below the town of Cambria. "We were caught in the surf," Srez recalled, "and the lifeboat capsized... Some of the boys were scratched up, and the captain nearly drowned."

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At 08.34 hours on 14 Jan, 1942, the unescorted Norness was hit in the stern by one of two stern torpedoes from u-123 about 60 miles from Montauk Point, Long Island and began listing to starboard. At 08.53 hours, a G7e was fired from a stern tube as coup de grâce, hit the tanker underneath the bridge and the ship began settling on even keel, allowing the survivors to abandon ship in the starboard lifeboat and row away from the ship. The port lifeboat had capsized during the launch due to the heavy list and threw the occupants into the cold sea, drowning two Norwegian crew members. At 09.29 hours, the vessel was hit by a third torpedo in the engine room, after a second coup de grâce had malfunctioned at 09.10 hours. Four minutes later the tanker sank by the stern in shallow waters, the bow remaining visible over the surface.
30 survivors were spotted in the afternoon by a blimp of the US Navy,

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page 80&81

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page 81




Claire Lee Chennault
Lieutenant General, United States Army Air Corps

He led the Flying Tigers (an all-volunteer service) in China before the United States entered World War II. When America entered the war, he took command of all Allied Air Forces in the far east. He was born in Commerce, Texas, on September 6, 1890 and died in Washington, D.C. on July 27, 1958. He is buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery and his headstone is inscribed in both English and Chinese.

From a 1990 Press Report: From the cotton fields of Waterproof, Louisiana, came Claire Lee Chennault, a prophetic, controversial military genius who was de-activated twice because of his strident efforts to modernize air power.
Chennault was also a military hero who received at least 17 medals, including the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster.
Claire Lee Chennault went from being a school teacher in a one-room school in Athens, Louisiana, on to become a general and leader of the famous Flying Tigers.
Ironically, Chennault had ups and downs in his career that matches those of Chennault Air Base in Lake Charles, which was named for him. Both the base and the general were often in political fights, and the base was also cast off by the military, in 1946 and in 1961. And just as the base is still contributing to Calcasieu Parish, Claire Chennault's innovative changes still contribute to the modern armed forces.
Two of General Chennault's sons live in Ferriday Robert and Claire "Pat'' Another son, Max, lives in Fayetteville, Georgia. Two daughters, Rosemay (Mrs. James Simrell) lives in West Monroe, and Peggy (Mrs. A. Robert Lee) lives in California. Three of Chennault's sons are deceased John, a retired Colonel in the Air Force; Charles, a retired Master Sergeant in the Air Force; and David, who served in the Navy in World War II.
There are also 36 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, many of whom live in Louisiana.
Anna Chen Chennault, Chennault's second wife, and their two daughters, Cynthia and Claire Anna, live in Washington, D.C.
Claire Lee Chennault was 10 years old when the Wright Brothers made their first powered flight in 1903. Raised in the little community of Gilbert, near Waterproof, Claire was the son of John and Jessie Lee Chennault. His mother died when he was young and he became a loner, spending much time by himself in the nearby woods.
In a book he wrote later, "Way of a Fighter,'' Chennault said, "My earliest recollections are of roaming the oak woods and moss-draped cypress swamps in northeast Louisiana. Life in these woods and on the bayous and lakes taught me self-confidence and reliance and forced me to make my own decisions.''
Claire Chennault attended LSU for three years, but transferred to Louisiana State Normal for his senior year so he would be eligible for a teaching job. That same year, he attended a high school graduation ceremony in Winnsboro, and there met a young lady named Nell Thompson. They courted for a year, and married on Christmas Eve, 1911.
When World War I began, Chennault enlisted, and for a very short time was stationed at Gerstner Army Camp, south of Lake Charles near Holmwood. Then he went to Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas.
"The Signal Corps rejected me for flight training three times,'' Chennault wrote later. "But taking advantage of the general confusion around Kelly, I found a few genial instructors who were willing to explain the fundamentals of flying from the rear cockpit of a Jenny.
``I was also in charge of fueling and checking the training planes, so whenever there was no cadet handy, I hopped in and racked up another hour of flying time.''
In the spring of 1920, the war ended and Chennault was honorably discharged. But that fall, he put in a request for a commission in the newly organized Air Service and was accepted for their first fighter pilot course.
In 1923, Claire Chennault was sent to Hawaii, where he was commanding officer of the 19th Pursuit Squadron at Luke Field at Pearl Harbor. It was in Hawaii that his sixth and last son, Robert, was born. A few years later, a daughter, Rosemary, was born.
"I think my Hawaiian duty was my happiest time in the Air Corps,'' Chennault wrote later. During this time, he initiated many new plans and tactics for military aircraft. He felt that the fighter techniques being taught then were "medieval jousting in dogfights.''
Chennault had a brilliant mind, far ahead of the military strategists of his day. He often sounded like a voice crying in the wilderness as he begged the military hierarchy to modernize training tactics.
"Even yet in 1931,'' he wrote, ``a World War I ace was still teaching the fighter tactics of 1918, including the dawn patrol and dogfight tactics which were completely inadequate against the new bombers.''
Chennault also tried to introduce the use of parachute troops, but was ridiculed for the suggestion.
He also advocated more firepower for fighting planes. "In 1936, engineers ridiculed my suggestion that four 30-caliber guns could be synchronized to fire through a propeller,'' he recalled. "They said it was impossible. But the next year I saw a Russian plane with synchronized guns in action against the Japanese in China.''
But military leaders weren't listening to Chennault. They didn't believe fighters could shoot down bombers. One officer even recommended that fighters drop a ball-and-chain device from above in the hope of fouling a bomber's propellers.
By 1936, Chennault had become executive officer of a pursuit group at Barksdale in Shreveport. But his disagreements with military leaders escalated, and he was asked to take a "health'' retirement. He accepted the offer.
It was after his first retirement that the Chennault children remember spending the most time with their father. Robert, who now lives in the Chennault homeplace at Ferriday, recalls: "My father was stern and insisted that we be extra good students, but he also was very good to us and spent a lot of time with us.
"He was very competitive, hating to lose at anything. He took me fishing until I became a better fisherman than he, and then he wouldn't fish with me anymore.
"He was an avid gardener. He loved his vegetables and didn't like other people in his garden. He would pick all his produce himself and take it to the kitchen. Then it was up to someone else.
"But he did insist that I keep his asparagus bed weeded, and until this day, I dislike asparagus like President Bush and his broccoli.''
Max Chennault agrees. "He was a good father. He often took us golfing, fishing, hunting and swimming and taught us to play bridge.''
All six sons of Chennault were in service during World War II, and they all came home safely. Daughter Peggy (Mrs. Robert Lee) of California says, "My husband, Bob Lee, was chief of supply for Chennault's Air Line. We and our two children lived in Shanghai, Canton, Hong Kong, Tianan and Tokyo until the Korean War. It was exciting, sometimes scary, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.''
Rosemary (Mrs. James Simrell), who now lives in West Monroe, recalls: "We saw quite a bit of Dad after he came back from China and was living in Monroe. He loved his flower garden and had many unusual plants in it, many that he'd brought home from China.''
In the 1930s, the Chennaults moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he was director of flight operations. They lived near a family named Hixson, and a member of that family, Edley Hixson of Lake Charles, remembers the Chennaults well. Edley recalls, "Max and I were friends and went to school together. I knew the family and thought that General Chennault was stern and very military.''
Then came another chapter in Chennault's career. "At midnight on April 30, 1937,'' wrote Chennault later, "with my family settled on the shores of Lake St. John near Waterproof, I officially retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of Captain. On the morning of May 1, I was on my way to San Francisco, China bound.''
Chennault originally planned to remain in China for three months, but he spent the rest of his life there. His new civilian job was to oversee the entire Chinese Air Force, and he was often discouraged because China had such a critical shortage of airplanes and trained pilots.
One day, Chennault saw five landing crackups, and watched several fighter-pilots, supposedly ready for combat, spin-in and kill themselves in basic trainers.
It took Chennault a long time to convince Chinese pilots that their lives were more important than saving face. They simply refused to bail out of a crippled plane because returning without their planes would cause them to lose face.
From the beginning, Chennault liked and respected General and Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Since she was the Secretary General of the Chinese Air Force, she was his boss.
"I have worked with Madam Chiang through long years of bitter defeat,'' he wrote later, "and through victories that now seem even more bitter because their promise of peace has not been fulfilled. I believe she is one of the world's most accomplished, brilliant and determined women.''
After World War II began, Chennault was recalled to military service, then assigned to continue the work he was doing in China.
Chennault recruited volunteers to fight the Japanese in China. The Secretary of the Navy as well as the Secretary of the Army agreed to let their flyers resign from their branch of the service to fly with Chennault, and, without prejudice, to return to their prior jobs when the war was over.
The name "Flying Tigers'' came into being about this time. Chennault explained it this way: "Suddenly, we were swamped with newspaper clippings and we were being called the Flying Tigers. But the insignia we made famous was by no means original with us.
"Our pilots copied the shark-tooth design on the P-40s from a colored illustration in the India Illustrated Weekly. Even before that, the German Air Force painted it on some of its Messerschmitts. At any rate, we were somewhat surprised to find ourselves billed under that name.''
True to form, General Claire Chennault was outspoken about several other generals he felt were impeding the war effort in China. His comments sparked a furor, and in 1945, two months before the war ended, he was again retired from the military on another "health'' disability.
"We were flying home when news of the Japanese surrender reached me via our plane radio,'' he said.
Chennault did not remain in the states. Soon he was back in China, where he founded the Civil Air Transport (CAT) which operated under the Flying Tiger insignia. Its job was to carry relief supplies from Canton and Shanghai into the interior of China. They flew tons of seeds, medicine, food, farm equipment and banknotes into isolated areas.
By this time, Chennault and Nell had divorced, and he had married a young Chinese girl, Ann Chen, who was a reporter for the Central News Agency.
Ten years later, Chennault's bronchitis grew worse and a doctor discovered he had cancer. He went through an operation and doctors removed most of his lung.
Two months later, Chennault was back in China. But a year later, a spot was again found in his lung and the doctors sent him to America and New Orleans, where he was under the care of Dr. Alton Ochsner. During this time, he managed a reunion with all his children and grandchildren.
Shortly before his death, Chennault was asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee of the U.S. Congress.
When the committee member asked him who won the Korean War, he replied bluntly, "The communists.''
Asked about foreign aid, he said, "We send people to distribute that aid. . We send some of the dumbest, most ignorant people I have ever encountered. We have to change our whole method of giving aid. We have to get down and contact the people, make friends with them at all levels.''
Three months later, on July 27, 1958, General Claire Lee Chennault died. He was buried in the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
And a few months later, on Friday, Nov. 14, 1958, Lake Charles held a celebration during which the Lake Charles Air Force Base was named Chennault in honor of the late general.
Today, the base has become Chennault Airpark, filling a new role but still carrying General Claire Chennault's name.

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page 82&83

page 82 (clipping 1)

On December 2, a German reconnaissance unit reached the Khimki – a small town only five miles from Moscow. This marked the furthest German advance. With temperatures reaching -50 degrees, and still lacking winter equipment, the Germans were forced to halt their offensives.
Battle of Moscow - The Soviet counter-offensive
On 5 December 1941, Zhukov launched a massive Soviet counter-attack against the German forces, with the biggest offensive launched against Army Group Centre. The offensive unfolded in all sectors of the Moscow area on 6 December. During the autumn, Zhukov had been transferring fresh, well-equipped and well-trained Soviet forces from Siberia and the Far East to Moscow, but held them in reserve until the set date of the counter-offensive. The plan was based on intelligence data by Richard Sorge, a German communist and spy who worked for the Soviet Union. This information ensured the High Command of the Red Army that Japan would not attack in the east. Now with the enemy too close to the heart of USSR to ignore, Zhukov threw the reinforcements against the German lines, along with freshly-built T-34 tanks and Katyusha rocket launchers. The new Soviet troops were prepared for winter warfare, and they included several ski battalions. Possessing a reserve of 58 divisions, he unleashed a counter-offensive to push the Germans back from Moscow. The beginning of the attack coincided with Adolf Hitler ordering German forces to assume a defensive stance. Unable to organize a solid defense in their advance positions, the Germans were forced from Kalinin on the 7th and the Soviets moved to envelop the 3rd Panzer Army at Klin. This failed and the Soviets advanced on Rzhev. In the south, Soviet forces relieved pressure on Tula on December 16. Two days later, Bock was sacked in favor of Field Marshal Günther von Kluge. This was largely due to Hitler's anger over German troops conducting a strategic retreat against his wishes. The exhausted and freezing Germans were routed and thrown back 100 to 250 km by 7 January 1942. The Soviet army consolidated their positions by April 1942, having definitely eliminated the German threat to Moscow. The Red army was aided in their efforts by extreme cold and poor weather which minimized the Luftwaffe's operations. As soon as the weather improved in late December and early January the Luftwaffe reseal intensive bombing in support of German ground forces This slowed the enemy advances and by January 7, the Soviet counter-offensive came to an end
.
As a result of the successful counter-attack, Tula was taken by the Soviets on December, 16. North of Moscow, Kalinin was taken back on Jaunary 7, 1942. However, Vyazma offensive operation carried out until April 20, 1942 failed eventually. The Germans continued to threaten Moscow from this direction.
The victory in the battle of Moscow provided an important boost for Soviet morale, as the German army had now lost its fame of invincible force. Having failed to defeat the Soviet Union in a quick strike, the German army had to prepare for a long and bloody struggle. The Blitzkrieg didn't succeed.




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Battle of Wake Island

The battle began simultaneously with the Attack on Pearl Harbor and ended on 23 December 1941, with the surrender of the American forces to the Japanese. It was fought on and around the atoll formed by Wake Island and its islets of Peale and Wilkes Islands by the air, land and naval forces of the Empire of Japan against those of the United States of America, with Marines playing a prominent role on both sides. The island was held by the Japanese until 4 September 1945, when the remaining Japanese garrison surrendered to a detachment of United States Marines.



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Gilbert Islands Campaign


13 Nov 1943 - 24 Nov 1943
The invasion fleet, Task Force 52, set sail for an invasion on the Gilbert Islands from Pearl Harbor on 10 Nov 1943. The force sailed with 35,000 troops, 120,000 tons of supplies, and six thousand vehicles. The invasion fleet was divided into two. Rear Admiral Richmond Turner headed up the northern force; the southern was led by Rear Admiral Harry Hill, Turner's deputy. The Navy and Marines portion operation was dubbed Operation Galvanic, involving General Holland Smith's marines. The Army portion was named Operation Kourbash.
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Jacket, Field, M-1943, Women .
made of wind resistant, water repellent cotton fabric. The M-1943 women's field jacket was similar in its general features to the one issued to men. Just the breast pockets and fly front was omitted while a button front was included. Additionally the female version has an inside pull string at waist height for adjustable fitting.
Hood, Jacket, Field, M-1943, Women's
.
made of same material as the jacket. It was designed for wear over the head with or without the wool knitted cap or the M-1 steel helmet.
Additionally, the hood provided enough space to wear the large and bulky earphone assembly and wire attachments when needed (example can be found in "US. Army Uniforms of WWII" by Shelby Stanton, p.232).
The hood was small enough to fit in the pocket of the jacket when it was not used.

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Churchill's speeches boosted the British empires morale during the darkest moments
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The conquest of Greece was completed in May with the capture of Crete from the air, although the Fallschirmjäger suffered such extensive casualties in this operation that the Germans abandoned large-scale airborne operations for the remainder of the war.

Rudolf Hess travelled to England in 1941 to try to broker peace with Great Britain; he offered that Germany should withdraw from most of what was then Nazi-occupied Europe in exchange for Britain's promise to support Germany in its war against the Soviet Union. Captured by a farmhand after he parachuted into Scotland, Hess was eventually taken on Winston Churchill's orders to the Tower of London, and was kept imprisoned, first in Wales and then in Cornwall, for the remainder of the war. In 1946, he was convicted by the International Military Tribunal of crimes against peace and conspiracy with other German officials to commit crimes. Unlike his former co-conspirator Goering, however, Hess was not found guilty of war crimes or crimes against humanity, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was held thereafter in Spandau Prison in West Berlin (eventually becoming its sole inmate after the release of Albert Speer and Baldur von Schirach in 1966), until his death on 17 August 1987 at the age of 93. He was buried at Wunsiedel, and the prison was demolished to prevent it from becoming a shrine for neo-Nazis.

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Timeline - The London Blitz 1940 - 1941

• 3rd September 1939 - War declared
  
• The first air raid siren sounds - it was a false alarm.

• September 1939 - children are evacuated from London to the country.
• About 1,500,000 Anderson shelters given out to poorer families.

• 25th August 1940 - the first bomb drops on London, probably by mistake. It is thought that a bomber pilot was meant to drop bombs on aircraft factories in South London mistakenly dropped them on the City of London.

• 7th September 1940 - the first real air raid of the London Blitz takes place. It comprised over 300 bombers escorted by more than 600 fighter planes. They started bombing the East End before they carried on to bomb the City and Central London.
• This raid caused more than 1000 fires
• 430 people were killed and 1600 badly injured.
• Damage was caused to two major power stations, homes and factories along the Thames and three major London railway stations.

• 17th September 1940 - a bomb hit Marble Arch Underground station killing 17 people.

• 18th September 1940 - the Lambeth Walk was destroyed as was the John Lewis department store in Oxford Street.

• 15th October 1940 - 430 people were killed in the bombing, five major railway stations were badly damaged, the City of London's watermain was also damaged as was the major Fleet sewer.
• By mid October there were around 250,000 people made homeless by the Blitz.

• 14th November 1940 - this dated signalled the end of the nightly raids on London. German bombers raided Coventry instead.

• 15th November 1940 - the Luftwaffe returns to London hitting almost every borough. It uses a new bomb nicknamed Satan - it was huge - 1800 megatons of high explosive and it was a delayed action bomb.
• The main Post Office sorting depot at Mount Pleasant was hit as was the National Portrait Gallery, Westminster Abbey and Euston Station.

• November 1940 - about 3000 unexploded bombs were waiting to be defused around London by the end of the month.

• 29th December 1940 - incendiaries dropped on the City of London caused over 1400 fires including six that were classed as conflagrations, one of which covered half a square mile
• The Guildhall was damaged, only its walls stood, eight churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren were destroyed as was Paternoster Row, a major telephone exchange, the Central Telegraph Office and guild company halls.
• Also damaged that night were five mainline stations, nine hospitals, sixteen Underground stations and St Paul's was hit by incendiaries.

• 11th January 1941 - 117 people were killed in Bank Underground station when it took a direct hit.

• 19th March 1941 - a 500 bomber raid on the docks and East End of London killed 750 people and injured over a 1000 people seriously.

• 16th April 1941 - a 685 bomber raid caused more than 2000 fires and killed well over 1000 people. This raid also damaged or destroyed irreplaceable historic churches and other buildings.

• 19th April 1941 - This was the biggest bombing raid of the London Blitz so far with more high explosive and incendiaries dropped than any other night previously.

• 10th May 1941 - a 550 bomber raid dropped more than 700 tons of bombs and thousands of incendiaries. This was probably the worst raid of the Blitz.
• Nearly 1500 people were killed and around 1800 seriously injured.
• The Chamber of the House of Commons (Parliament) was destroyed.
• The House of Lords, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Hall, St James's Palace and Lambeth Palace were amongst the many buildings damaged. Almost all the major mainline railway stations were also damaged as were 14 hospitals, the British Museum and the Old Bailey.

This was the last of the major raids on London in this period. There were occasional attacks over the following three years but raids on London only began again in earnest in June 1944 when the Germans started using flying bombs.


An Air raid shelter in a London Underground station in London during The Blitz.
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In early 1941, British forces were engaged in Operation Compass, an attempt to drive the Italians out of North Africa. On 21 January 1941, the Australian 6th Division made an assault to capture the Italian-garrisoned port of Tobruk, which offered one of the few good harbours between Alexandria and Tripoli.
The Italian Army was unable to put up an effective resistance. The Italian commander, General Petassi Manella, was taken prisoner after 12 hours of battle, and 24 hours later the Australian troops had cleaned up the remaining resistance. The Australians lost 49 dead and 306 wounded, while capturing 27,000 Italian POWs, 208 guns and 28 tanks. Many serviceable trucks and a large quantity of supplies were also captured (as the Italian Army was getting ready to advance toward Egypt). The Italians had constructed some impressive defences, including a perimeter of concrete pits.
By the end of the first week in February, Operation Compass had resulted in the Italian forces being driven from Cyrenaica and in the surrender of the Italian 10th Army.

here is a link to some awesome then/now photos
http://www.western-desert.de/Gallery.htm
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945)
sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill
(30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965)
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The Battle of the Atlantic was the dominating factor all through the war. Never for one moment could we forget that everything happening elsewhere, on land, at sea or in the air depended ultimately on its outcome.
Winston Churchill

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